Did you try typescript? Now I can write for hours without trying out the app. And when I try... It just works
>> I'm never confident in the changes I make, but my style is to write a few lines at a time, save, re-run or refresh.
This is a pretty typical frontend development pattern, especially seeing "refresh."
As a backend dev working in statically typed languages, I will sometimes code for hours without running, and I wouldn't say anything about it is terrible. I haven't worked with Typescript, but it wouldn't surprise me if it enabled a similar development process.
I wouldn't necessarily infrequent running as a technique worth emulating, but in certain situations it works pretty well.
Maybe I'm doing things wrong, but docker volumes are essential in how I like to dev.